American Society of Clinical Oncology, May 30-June 4

The annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology was held from May 30 to June 4 in Chicago and hosted more than 34,000 participants from around the world, including clinicians, academicians, allied health professionals, and others interested in oncology. The conference featured the latest advances in clinical cancer research, including oral abstract presentations and poster presentations in disease-based and specialty tracks. Presentations focused on novel targeted therapies as well as improvements in chemotherapy and radiation therapy approaches.

In one study, Jefferson DeKloe, M.D., of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, and colleagues found that human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination reduces the risk for cervical cancer and precancerous dysplasia in female patients and may reduce the incidence of other HPV-associated cancers, including head and neck cancers in men.

The authors performed a retrospective cohort study using the data from the TriNetX U.S. Collaborative Network. Patients aged 9 to 39 years who received any vaccine between Jan. 1, 2010, and Dec. 31, 2023, were included in the analysis. Patients were divided into two cohorts: those vaccinated for HPV at least five years prior and those with no history of HPV vaccination. The development of malignancies across various organ systems, including head and neck, cervix, anus and anal canal, penis, vulva, and vagina, was assessed.

The researchers observed lower rates of cervical cancer in female participants vaccinated for HPV compared with those not vaccinated. Furthermore, lower rates of head and neck cancer were observed in male patients vaccinated for HPV compared with those not vaccinated.

“There are still many variables that influence the risk of developing an HPV-associated cancer and future research may inform us what is causing the reduced incidence of head and neck cancers in HPV-vaccinated males,” DeKloe said. “This work shows that the HPV-vaccination efforts in the United States may already have some apparent benefit measured through the reduction of HPV-associated cancers. Given the rise in HPV-related cancers in the past few decades, HPV vaccination is an important means of cancer prevention that should be emphasized for male and female patients in clinical practice.”

One author disclosed a financial relationship with AstraZeneca.

Abstract No. 10507

In a large-scale comparative effectiveness trial across 22 cancer centers, Joseph Greer, M.D., of Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, and colleagues demonstrated equivalence for the effect of delivering early palliative care via video versus in-person visits on quality of life in patients with advanced lung cancer.